Hey mom!
by Lorelei Candice Black
Summary: Set right after the second movie (the next morning). Mal decides to talk to her mother about everything that's happened and something small happens to give her hope.


_**Hey Mom!**_

 _Descendants_

 _Mal speaks with her mother after the cotillion._

* * *

Mal came back very late, or early in the morning, from the royal Cotillion and she found her mother already asleep in her vivarium. She was already pretty tired as well and so she decided not to wake her mother up for now. She wanted to tell her mother all about what had happened that night but she'd have time the next morning. At the moment, she needed her rest as well because the next few weeks were going to be very busy for Ben and her.

She chuckled a bit to herself thinking that she was now one of those girls she used to make fun of, one of those who needed their 'beauty sleep' but she didn't mind because she was happy. She was a Lady of the Court now and one day, she'd be ben's Queen. She was happy. Not because she'd be Queen, but because being with Ben made her happy and she knew now that they were forever, just like Snow White and Prince Charming, or Belle and the Beast.

"Good night, Mal!" Evie, her best friend and sister told her as she, too, went in bed.

Mal sometimes had a hard time remembering the time when she hated Evie, mainly out of jealousy created by their respective mothers. Evie was now a sister to her, she loved her just as much as she would if they had shared a parent and blood. They were family and she'd do anything for her friend, just like Evie had risked being stuck on the Isle to get her back home. It wasn't even that long ago that Mal had tried to make plans to ruin Evie's life and make her miserable, mainly to please her mother. How things had changed!

"Good night, Evie." Mal smiled.

As soon as they had come back from the Isle, before she got dressed in her ball gown, Mal had placed her lizard mother back in her vivarium, apologizing for the lack of comfort of the past few hours, trapped in a box, stuck at the bottom of a bag pack. She hadn't told her mother much, she was too preoccupied by everything else at the time but now, for the first time ever, she felt the need to talk to her mother about the events of her day, to confide in her.

Quickly, Mal changed into her nightwear, a very pretty and comfortable nightgown that had been yet another gift from Ben, and she quickly fell asleep, dreaming of her happy moments with Ben, their kisses, and the fact that her kiss had broken him out of Uma's love spell. They shared true love. The kind of True Love that made legends and became famous, like Snow and Charming, like Cinderella or like Bella and Beast.

.

The next morning, Evie left quickly after waking up, eager to meet Doug and get started on the list of kids from the Isle she'd give Ben while Doug collected the money she had earned with her dresses. She was hoping to get a few more dresses order as well. She didn't want to stop working, she loved it too much and she really wanted to buy herself that castle.

"Good morning, mom. Did you sleep well?" Mal asked her mother with a small smile before she went to the bathroom to get dressed.

Mal made it a point to talk kindly to her mother, to show her the love her mother hadn't showed her during her entire life. She still remembered the time, when she was 5 years old, when her mother had grounded her severely simply because she had helped a goblin pick up his fallen apples (and she had cleaned them on her dress). She knew that her mother had a hard time accepting her new life, the way she was acting these days but she did her best to show her mother that goodness truly didn't get any better, like the school motto declared.

Once she was done getting ready for the day, Mal fed her mother and sat in front of the vivarium, getting ready for a tchat before she had to meet with Ben. She knew that her mother wouldn't be able to answer her but she wanted to tell her what had happened, to share everything with her.

"I have so much to tell you, mom... I wish you could have been there last night and seen me! I mean, you probably would have been disappointed because I did the right thing and I was good and all but... I turned into a dragon, mom! It was awesome!"

Mal saw that her mother was interested because she settled on her little throne, facing her. Her lizard eyes were on her and she looked truly interested.

Mal smiled at the little pieces of furniture that Carlos had made for her mother with his new 3D printer. It looked like her place on the Isle and she knew that her mother probably appreciated the familiarity of it all.

"I should start at the beginning, I didn't even tell you why I tried to leave Auradon... I mean, maybe you guessed from what you saw but... Once again, you wouldn't have agreed with my reasons, thought it was foolish but then again, you never believed in love... I thought I wasn't good enough for Ben and that people would eventually turn on me, and then on him. I thought that leaving now would be best for Auradon, and for Ben. Of course Ben came after me on the Isle... I don't know what you managed to hear from your box... I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have left you in there, mom. Anyway, Evie, Carlos and Jay took him there. Of course Evie used that opportunity to dress him up. He was actually both handsome and adorable in his Isle outfit. Anyway, Uma heard that I was back, and then that Ben was here and she kidnapped him. She wanted me to bring her the wand in exchange for Ben, so we brought her a fake one, fought her and her crew, Lonnie, Mulan's daughter, helped us. We won, of course. I always do, especially against Uma. You would have been so proud, mom. By the way, do you like my new hair? Dizzy did it for me, I like it much more than the blond, I'm sure you do to. Even Ben likes it better. Turns out he likes me just the way I am after all, I don't need to try so hard to be a pink princess for him."

Mal stopped a moment and she swore she saw a smile grow on her lizard mom's face. She had no doubt that her mother had hated the girl she had tried to become during the past few months.

"Anyway, we rushed back to Auradon and Evie, Carlos and Jay convinced me to go to the Cotillion, to give Ben a chance to prove that he liked me just the way I was. Jay said that if I still wanted to leave after the bal was over, he'd drive me back to the Isle himself. I don't know why it surprised me so much coming from him... he and I... We were always close, he was always like a brother to me. You know, the kind of brother you never asked your parents for but are glad to find when you need it? The kind of brother you argue 80% of the time with but who's there for you when you need a laugh or to be consoled. Jay's that for me." Mal told her mother with a little smile.

"That's when I brought you back here. I'm sure you like this better than your box. I got dressed, kept my light purple hair and went to the cotillion, trying my best to be both Isle and Auradon, to be myself. Belle and Beast were super nice to me when I arrived, they welcomed me with a big smile, told me that I was exactly what their son needed. You can't imagine how happy I was to hear them say that, that they approved of me. I was still nervous though. I wasn't sure he'd still love me if I stopped trying to be a prefect pink princess like Audrey or the others. But I mean, his parents saying they approved of me when I was being me, it felt good. Anyway, Ben arrived and surprised us by having Uma with him. At first I was devastated, I have never been so sad in my entire life, my heart broke and everyone was being very supportive of me, even Ben's parents. Ben claimed that he loved Uma, that he was going to make her a lady of the court, His lady... It was supposed to be me... I just wanted to leave, curl up and die, even though his father promised that he'd try to talk to his son, to change his mind, for a moment there I was sure that everything was over for me. But then Ben started acting... not like him and I was about to leave when Jane told Lumiere to show everyone Ben's gift to me, his masterpiece. It was so beautiful mom! It was me, with my purple hair and bright shinny green eyes. Ben's known who I was this entire time and he loved me just the way I was. It soon became obvious that Uma had him under some sort of Love spell. I wasn't scared anymore though, because I knew that he loved the real me and I wasn't afraid to tell him how I felt. So I did. I told him that I loved him and I kissed him and it was True Love's kiss and it broke the spell, Mom! I know you would have rather me steal the wand and curse the entire kingdom but I hope you'll find it in you to be happy for me about this. Because... Because I am so happy..."

Mal looked so happy at this moment, with her bright smile and stars in her eyes, that her mother couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for having tried to prevent that from happening to her. Even she, the once great now tiny lizard Maleficent, could see that happiness, love and hope was a good look on her daughter.

"It's not the end of it though, Uma became mad, angry, she didn't listen to our offer to change, she didn't want the chance Ben was offering her and so she used her mother's seashell necklace to turn into... Well, you know, what Ursula usually turned into with that necklace of hers before the Isle. I was so angry, she was trying to break the boat and drown everyone! That's when I turned into a dragon. I didn't even know that I could do it, it just started to happen and I knew what I had to do. It was so awesome, mom, I wish you could have seen it. But Evie told me that people filmed it so I'll be able to show you everything soon, maybe even tonight. Anyway, Uma calmed down, thanks to Ben mostly, and she left. Then I went back on the boat and turned back into me. My dress changed though, it was weird. I think Evie's feelings were a bit hurt that the dress she had made me was gone but... the dress I wore after I changed back, it was the same one as the one I was wearing in Ben's gift, it was more me, you know? I didn't know I could do that, did you ever do that? Anyway, after that everything went the way it was supposed to and I'm now Lady Mal."

Mal took a big breath then and smiled again.

"I'm so happy mom... I know that you probably don't understand it but I am. I hope you'll be able to find it in you to be happy for me. By the way, Carlos is working on something for you, a mimi TV. Wouldn't be be cool? You'd be able to watch more than the empty room."

Mal watched as her mother left her little throne and went to place her tiny paw on the glass of her cage. Surprised, Mal placed one of her finger against the same spot for a few minutes and she swore, her mother grew a little. It was barely noticeable, maybe a millimeter or two but it was there and it made Mal smile even wider.

"I have to go and meet Ben, Mom. We're having lunch with his parents and before we do, I want to help him with the list of kids from the Isle who'll get to come to Auradon next. Kind of my responsibility too, now that I'm a Lady of the Court, right?" Mal added before she waved at her Lizard mother and left the room, grabbing her usual purple and green leather jacket on the way.

Before she left, Mal smiled as she spotted the sign she had put up next to her mother's cage: **Don't feed my mom!**.

People had tried to be nice when they came to feed Maleficent, they had good intentions but Mal's mother was still very angry at the time. The first time Jane tried to feed her, Maleficent bite her fingers. The second time, Carlos tried it and Maleficent managed to escape because he hadn't closed the cage properly. It took them all over an hour and two broken vases to catch her again. That's when Mal decided that she couldn't let anyone else feed her mother for the time being.

.

When Mal arrived in Ben's office, he was already there, signing some pieces of paper. He smiled at her as soon as she walked though the door.

Mal was wearing one of her new 'princessy' dresses, similar to the ones she had been wearing lately, but, to be herself, she wore her leather jacket on top of it. The best of both worlds.

"Hey Mal, how was your night?" he asked her, standing up to join her.

"Very good, I slept very well. And yours?" She asked him, naturally stepping into his arms and kissing him.

"Excellent." he replied, kissing her a second time.

Now that things had changed between them, he wanted to kiss her and have her in his arms as much as possible and at least, while they were in his office, they weren't in public. They wouldn't be interrupted.

"I have something to tell you! I mean, it's not much but it's still great, it made my morning!" She told him after a few minutes of kissing.

"What is it?" He asked her with a bright smile, always happy for her.

"I was telling my mom everything that's happened last night and I swear she grew! I mean, not much, about a millimeter, so it's not much, but it's a start!" Mal exclaimed.

"That's great, Mal! I'm very happy for you." He nodded.

"Thanks. Anyway, has Evie been by yet?"

"No, she texted that she'd come by this afternoon instead. She apparently has an emergency order to finish by 2 pm."

"An emergency order?" Mal asked, surprised.

"It's for Chad and he's paying double and promised to be nice and welcoming to Dizzy once she arrived, so Evie jumped on the opportunity." Ben chuckled and Mal joined him.

"What's so urgent about this outfit?" Mal asked with a curious frown.

"Apparently, Audrey agreed to go on a date with him this afternoon because he went to help her out last night so he wants to look perfect for her." Ben replied, making Mal chuckle.

"What do we do in the mean time, then?"

"Well, we have some time to ourselves, so we should enjoy it while it last because we both know that the next few days will be very busy for the both of us. We could go take a walk on our own, come back just in time for lunch with my parents." He suggested ad she nodded.

"They surprised me last night, your parents I mean. I... Before you arrived, they were both so nice... They said I was exactly right for you, that they approved and were happy to realize that their first impression of me was wrong." Mal informed him.

"That was before I arrived, cursed, right?" he asked.

"Yes, it was, why?"

"You gave me True Love's kiss, saved me and the kingdom. I bet they like you even more now." he smiled.

"I... Before we realized you were spelled, when I was trying to leave, your father..."

"What is it?" Ben asked her, concerned.

"He was... It touched me, though I was too emotional at the time to realize it... He promised me he'd try to talk to you... Meaning he was going to try and reason with you, to make you change your mind again. I was too sad at the time but later I realized what it meant." Mal told him.

"And what does it mean?" he smiled.

"They approve of me. That's all the validation I need, beside yours I mean." she replied.

"Of course they do, how could they not?" Ben nodded, his eyes full of love as they looked at her.

"Anyway, he didn't have to talk to you since we quickly realized that you were cursed."

"And you managed to break me out of it with True Love's kiss." He nodded.

"It was a great kiss, wasn't it?" She smiled.

"Yes, I believe it was. A True love's kiss worthy to enter legend and history." he said, kissing her one more time.

"I wanted to thank you again, for your gift. The work of art... It was... perfect. You once again proved that you knew me better than I know myself."

"Truthfully, seeing it when I was spelled helped me fight against the magic a little. It's probably how everyone noticed I wasn't myself." Ben replied.

"I know, your reaction to it was very touching..." Mal smiled.

"I love you, Mal." He simply told her.

"I love you too, Ben. I really do."

"Now let's go out for a while, who knows when we'll have another opportunity to spend some time alone with our busy schedule of the next few weeks." Ben declared, offering her his arm before he led her outside.

.

Ben and Mal were able to spend some time alone, uninterrupted, before they had to join Ben's parents for lunch.

On the way there, they were ambushed by more journalists, which annoyed Mal, but she endured it for Ben, who seemed to like their presence about as much as she did. Still, she made an effort to answer their questions and they both talked of the new kids from the Isle who'd join them in Auradon soon. Since Evie, who had quickly grown famous for her dress designs, had told them of Dizzy, the journalist were eager to find out when the young girl would arrive.

"You know, I wouldn't mind so much them cornering us outside of school if they didn't also show up at school." Mal told Ben once they had managed to evade them.

"I know, Fairy Godmother is getting quite annoyed with this as well." Ben replied, just when they greeted Belle and Beast, explaining that they were late because of the journalists.

"Sadly, we don't have any way to stop them. They're only doing their job." Belle shook her head.

"We should be able to stop them from coming to school. Mal and I are almost always late to class because of them. Of course we're not in trouble, the teachers understand, but still..." Ben said.

"I might have an idea, but I'm afraid it could be considered... Well, not evil but... Wicked. It's probably at the border between good and evil." Mal told them in a small voice.

"What was your idea?" Beast asked her kindly.

"Well, the other day, Fairy Godmother told them that if they were there, in school, they were either skipping or trespassing... I was thinking... You know, force anyone who trespasses to go to class for the rest of the day, and take their equipment away, only give it back if they complete an assignment at the end of the day..." Mal replied, her voice small, afraid of the royal couple's judgement.

"I think it's a brilliant idea!" Ben exclaimed while Beast chuckled and nodded.

"You should tell Fairy Godmother about it, I'm sure she'll like it. After a while, word will get out and they'll stop intruding on your school lives." Belle agreed.

"Yes, she's tired of their presence as well, she'll be more than happy to take suggestions and yours is just perfect. I love it." Ben's father assured her with a smile, making her blush a little.

"We could prepare some kind of special assignment for them, change it depending on the number of times they've been caught on school ground. The first being easier than the second and the third being even harder. Put questions about various subjects in it..." Mal told them, completing her idea.

"I know the two of you will be busy for the next few days, I'll tell Fairy Godmother your idea if you want." Belle suggested.

"Sure, if you really think it's a good idea." Mal smiled shyly.

"I think it's brilliant. We'll put lots of complicated science questions in their assignments. And ancient history everyone has forgotten." Beast added as a joke.

"Maybe when it's not their first time, maybe start with civil education questions, or history." Ben smiled.

"And Math with the science. Big complicated equations." Mal suggested, ignoring Ben to support Beast who smiled at her.

For the next few minutes, Belle and her son watched, amused, as Mal and Beast exchanged ideas of what could be on the assignments, them being crazier and harder than the one before.

"If the two of you carry on like this, you can be sure that they won't ever risk being caught close to school ever again." Belle chuckled.

"That's the point, honey." Beast smiled innocently.

"Anyway, Mal, I heard from Fairy Godmother that you were one of the best of your classes, you must be happy." Belle commented to change the subject.

"I am, but I'm used to it. Back on the Isle, I was the best in class as well... I mean, the classes were different, it was all about plotting and being evil but I think I took the habit of being the best possible to try and make my mom proud of me. She never was, it was never enough for her, but it's an habit that stuck and it's not a bad one so..." Mal replied with a smile, shrugging her shoulders.

"She'll be proud of you, Mal. Maybe not tomorrow, it'll take time, but you told me that she grew a little this morning, she's starting to see things differently." Ben did his best to reassure the one he loved.

"I know, I'm hopeful." She smiled.

"She grew?" Beast asked Mal.

"It's not much, probably less than a millimeter. I was telling her everything that's happened last night and I saw something changed in her. She smiled when I told her that I was happy at the end of my telling her everything and that's when I realized that she had just grown a little. I don't think anyone else would notice it yet." She replied.

"Well, I'm happy for you. Who knows, maybe one day she'll be back to her full size and she'll be good again." Belle smiled.

"I'm trying to hope but even if she grows to love me and to be happy for me, I don't think she'd ever be able to be truly good and to live here. She has too much anger and resentment in her." Mal frowned.

"We'll see." Beast smiled at Mal before they changed the subject to the events Ben and Mal were supposed to attend during the next few days.

Deep down, she knew that it didn't matter if her mother never learned to love and never grew big again, because she had a new family. Her friends, her boyfriend, a new life that made her happy and complete.

Still, she decided that from now on, she'd talk more to her mother, tell her all about her day and about what makes her happy. Maybe if she told her mother and showed her how happy she felt, then she'd slowly turn good, maybe she'd even grow to love her one day.

* * *

 _ **I hope you liked this. I wrote it right after the second movie but I decided to wait until Christmas to publish it. A little present to you all.**_

 _ **Merry Christmas.**_

 _ **Lorelei Candice Black**_


End file.
